Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
This passage of scripture teaches us the sacred truth, that as our heavenly Father, God must correct us from time to time, when He sees we are doing things that will be detrimental to our eternal welfare, and our temporal well-being. It is with deep, loving interest, and a care that is measureless, that God watches over us, who are purchased with the blood of His dear Son, and because He has made the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sins, He just cannot sit idly by, if He sees we are heading for destruction, through the choices we make. Just as any concerned parent would rise to the occasion, if they saw their child about to commit suicide, just so God rises to the occasion, to warn and correct us, if we are endangering ourselves.
But God does not use force in trying to get us to choose the right, because the use of force on the human will is directly contrary to the principle of love, upon which the foundation of His government stands. In other words, He can use entreaties, and warnings, and He often speaks to us through His providences, and His Spirit, but He does not force us to do right, if He observes we are deliberately choosing to do otherwise. Only the free service of love, that is based upon an intelligent understanding that God knows best, will ever be accepted by Him, for no parent, whether earthly or heavenly, desires a robotic form of obedience.
An example of what is being referred to here, took place when the Hebrew people demanded that a king should rule over them, a decision that was not only directly in opposition to God's wise arrangements, but one that would ultimately set the stage for the final rejection of Christ by the Jewish nation. Instead of leaving them to follow their own blind inclinations, God sent a clear message to them through the prophet Samuel, giving them in great detail, the evil results that will accrue, if they continued in that course of action. But try as He might, the Hebrews would not listen, and as a result, they found whom they were looking for, in the person of king Saul, who was tall and handsome, and had only the outward appearance of a king. Let's read:
1st Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him"... "make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 9 "Howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you"... 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us.
In our day, the same God who appealed to the Hebrews, and tried to correct them before they made a choice that they would ever after regret, is still appealing to us today. Our inclinations and self-will pull us in one direction, and God's word points us in the next, and like the Jews of old, we may manifest a stubbornness in clamoring for what we think is in our best interest. But God still sends counsels and admonitions through various agencies, and it is with a desire born of love, that He eagerly waits to see if we will choose His will over ours.
Let us then be willing and humble enough to wait upon Him in all things, even though at times we may feel that we are being restricted, for there are several occasions, when those so-called restrictions, actually result in saving us from certain death. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to be humble enough to accept the corrections that God sends us from time to time, and if we comply with an understanding heart, we will see for our own selves, that His instructions are always given for our very best temporal and eternal good. Let's read:
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth"... 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons"... 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!